Edit: Plans changed due to infection/allergic reaction. I'm still going, just changing the date and location to ensure I heal safely :)

Update 1: Campsite found! Photos!

Update 2: Stories and more photos

Destination: Camp Eden

Photo of landscape I will be camping in

The time has come for me to get away again, as I am prone to doing when life gets a bit much for me. I find solace in solitude in the bush. This appears to happen on a 3 year cycle. 2004/5 I walked 383km down the south coast of NSW and flew to the US in January on a whim. 2007/8 went travelling randomly for 6-7 weeks from festival to festival and couch to couch, with many nights spent sleeping under the stars. 2010/11 sold and gave away all of my physical possessions and reduced my life to a 70L backpack and went to Victoria and spent the majority of my time camping on an orchard (where I worked in exchange for a camping spot) and illegally by a reservoir 12km from the nearest town. I should note that I do not drive and instead use my legs wherever plausible.

I love these adventures; they are one of the only times I truly feel alive, when I am away from civilisation and being with nature. Sure I get lonely at first and then I realise that I am not alone as there is life everywhere. I don't really fit in with 'society'. I can share stories and help others as best I can but I do not have a place of belonging or a sense of purpose and direction, although that is changing as I pursue my writing goals. The past 18 months of living in a house in town, without a fireplace, bombarded by the noises of humans(screaming children, drunken idiots, cars, trains, trucks, power tools, lawnmowers etc) and barking dogs has me at wits end. I block out the internal and external noise by self-medicating (or via prescription medication) and the years of doing so are catching up with me. I need to break the cycle and walk the path back to better health. My searches for a new place to live have proved fruitless. It is difficult to get a rental property that is suitable and affordable on a disability pension with pets, regardless of my good rental history and references.

So with that said, I have a flight booked to the south coast of NSW, departing on March 8th. My initial intention was to visit my recently deceased grandfather's grave and to inspect a cabin. I've changed my mind and I will be cancelling my return flight tomorrow to leave my return date open-ended. I purchased a tent yesterday and have decided to 'go bush' to heal. I don't really like tents and prefer to sleep under a tree or by a campfire, however they are a necessity to keep one's food and possessions dry and safe from roaming animals. I am going to try and stay in touch and record and report my sojourn in this thread and pictorially via my photobucket account. My plan is to find an appropriate off the track campsite, close to fresh water, close to the sea, within 15km/9.4mi of Eden so I can get supplies as I need. That will mean I can head to town and back in the same day.

I can be prone to forgetting the obvious, and could do with a hand ensuring that I pack the essentials. Take into account that I am restricted by what I can carry in a 70L backpack. Oh, and if you've made it this far, I am also cleaning out my stash of GOG, Steam and Desura codes, and they have been accumulating!

List of GOG games to give away
List of Steam games to give away

Packing list

* Tent
* Sleeping bag (keeps me warm to -7C)
* Expensive air mattress (my back needs healing so this is a must for once - purchased)
* Air cushion
* Phone & tablet & keyboard (I need advice on apps and games as I have little experience with Android)
* Portable solar battery (purchased!)
* 2 sets of clothing (including bamboo socks and underwear which have natural anti-bacterial properties. New wet weather jacket purchased on sale today for $50 - the first new jacket I have ever bought)
* Hat (thanks drealmer7! New one purchased)
* Towel (thanks Tarm for the reminder! Purchased a tiny microfibre one that I can fit in my pocket)
* Food & water (red lentils will be my staple - more on this if anyone is interested in camp cooking)
* Aluminum pot, frying pan & cutlery (all cooking by fire, no gas burner this time)
* Camp cup and bowl
* Can-opener (thank you MunkiSiren's father! Exactly the sort of obvious thing I would forget)
* Aluminum water bottles x 2
* Home-made first aid & personal hygiene kit (tea tree & eucalyptus oil go a long way! I bought a first-aid kit today)
* Pa's Oneida 1943 US Bayonet (THIS is a knife!)
* 2nd knife with magnesium flint, mini LED torch, belt-cutter
* Whetstone
* Lighter x2, waterproof matches
* LED torch & rechargeable batteries
* Compass
* Whistle (thanks for the suggestion, you never know what er gorgeous birds might be out in the bush :P)
* Paracord (thanks monkeydelarge for the link, I purchased 20m/66ft today!)
* Writing pad & pens (thanks awalterj for the reminder, even though I take them everywhere!)
* Duct tape (thanks again monkeydelarge for the link)

That's it for now. I made the decision to do this the night before last :)

Edit: editing as I go :)

Edit: my first-aid & hygiene kit will contain: bandages, sewing kit, gauss, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, coconut oil, clove oil(great for teeth and topical anaesthetic) magnesium salts & vitamins, top shelf salt. I always take a variety of herbs & spices for cooking, that also have valuable medicinal properties: turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilli, licorice root, star anise, ginger, ginseng to name a few.

Note: I've packed for and undertaken these journeys before, and everything that needs to be sterile and dry will be kept in ziplock bags or airtight containers. I am a vegetarian, so suggestions of hunting equipment or fishing poles are not for me. If I get desperate, I can source plenty of nutrition from insects and grubs and can make simple tools and weapons for sea-life if need be.

Don't forget the towel.

Or the number 42.

If I started a thread called "going bush" I get derepped and reported!

You should get a rush order out to any place that can supply you with a Life Straw or similar product. That can basically allow you to drink dirty water; filtering it of course making it clean. Or some other water filter.

A few ting you can get cheap at any dollar store.

-Roll of Gauss for bandages
-Small bottle of vitamins.
-Duct Tape ; water proof - because McGiver never left home without a few yards lol
-Wax coated dental floss / sewing needles / alcohol wipes ; tucked into an altoids tin and that inside a ziplock plastic bag. These will be dry and sterile if you need to sew up a cut. Clean a cut. Or in a pinch, to light the pad with yer last match stick to burn a few seconds to get a fire going.

Keep in mind that if you re-use plastic bottles to not do so for long. The chemicals in the plastic when scratched(like when washed) will leech into the water you put inside it afterwards. Try to find flat metal flasks or glass flutes. Art supply vendors will sometimes have corked small glass flutes/flasks. Use an old hand wash cloth to sew up a buffer so the glass won't break and yer ready to roll =D

I thought of that when on the loo(great thinking space! :P) and forgot to add it, thank you. I'll update the list as it grows and will have to check the weight of my pack before I depart. When I went on my lengthy walk, I made the mistake of accepting too much stuff from other people who were worried about me, and I strained my leg on the 2nd day of the journey. I ended up dumping my tent and slept under the starts for the majority of the 2 week journey.

I would have assumed that you were going for the presidency. And you would get my vote in a heartbeat. My worthless invalid Polish vote.

Trust me, I was NOT referring to those morons! :D

chemical water purifiers just in case

a metal tinder and flint just in case your lighters doesnt work or the matches get lost or wet ( wear around your neck )

Here is a list of the Android games, I've given two monkey thumbs up. :)

- Predators - you get to hunt humans as one of the Predators
- Minecraft
- Stray Dog Simulator - try to become the BIG DOG of the neighborhood
- Deus Ex The Fall
- Dead Space
- Plague Inc
- Forgotten Tales MMORPG - like Ultima Online but not as good
- Carmageddon
- Doodle Jump

In your shoes, I'd add
- duct tape
- paracord
- apple cider vinegar
- baby wipes
- a bottle for water
- and an Emberlit Stove or something similar

Haha yes I did think of that misinterpretation. Terrorist alert: Tarnicus is going Bush with a 10" bayonet! Water filtration was mention to me. Usually I boil fresh water for 10 minutes (sufficient time for any elevation) it if my supply runs low, although who knows what might be in it in this day and age. Thanks for the mention of Life Straw, I'll look it up. Gauss and bandages in the home-made first-aid kit. I didn't take magnesium with me on my walk and really learned the hard way. Epsom salts aka magensium sulphate is the cheapest form and I have tons of that. I'll take some vitamins with me as a reserve but prefer to absorb my nutrients through diet wherever possible. I'll write up more detailed information on what will be in my first-aid kit. No antiseptic needed other than tea tree oil. It works as a great deodorant too.

What would I need the duct tape for? I'm not going to have any hostages at my camp :P I've got 2 aluminum water bottles to take with me :) Salt and clove oil for teeth; I don't have many left as it is :P LMFAO as your other meaning. Maybe that is why I need the duct tape as suggested above?

I can subscribe to that! Except that I virtually never feel lonely when I'm alone in the middle of nowhere. When I'm out and about, I'm moving around and creating and there is no time to feel lonely. Plus I can only fully absorb the surroundings when I'm alone. Only when I'm at home and not filled with purpose enough do I feel lonely. But even when I feel lonely I know full well that no amount of not being alone can give me fulfillment and purpose. I'll hold this to be true unless proven otherwise.


PS: Why not leave the Android tablet at home, you don't really need it. I didn't even bring a cell phone with me on most of my trips, and for a couple years I didn't even bring a camera along even if I traveled many thousand kilometers away. I draw & paint stuff worth recording, this is time consuming and difficult but it saves me having to write down a long diary because all that happened in a given day gets encrypted into the paintings which later trigger all the memories, meaning I can recount a long story and many silly details just by looking at an old painting. A lot of memories get lost without verbal recording but more than enough can be recalled with these visual artifacts. Sometimes, I would like to write down all the adventures into words but it's such a big task that I'd rather escape and accumulate more adventures rather than write down the ones I already experienced. This occasionally leads to philosophical moments like the one Roy has at the end of Blade Runner. My concern is not so much that my memories will be lost as I have the paintings to hinge enough memories onto - my concern is that I'm wasting away too much time and will end up not achieving more than the replicants in their short life despite my (hopefully) longer lifespan.

insect repellent helps... don't know what will want a taste of your blood out there. Also, you can get little solar lights that are very portable. no need for batteries either, mine have been in the front yard for months now without issue. Just turn the switch on and as soon as it's not receiving light it will turn itself on and vice versa.

Thanks, I have been unable to locate my magnesium flint so will have to purchase another. I have a knack with fire and can get one roaring in a storm if need be :) The best tinder is eucalyptus or acacia leaves. Dry ones will be abundant where I am camping, even if it rains for weeks on end. Look to the trees to find fallen branches stuck in them. Also unless it has rained for weeks on end, dry ones can be found in the right places on the ground.

I forgot to add the lighting I have to the list, cheers for the reminder. The essential oils plus fire = the best insect repellant with minimal harm to myself. Cineole, one of the main constituents of eucalyptus oil can be toxic for many and I appear to have some genetic resistance to it, most likely due to my grandfather living in the bush for 7 years(and spending a lot of his life there) when he was a wood-cutter. I have found commercial insect repellants to be useless and learned that the hard way. On my last night of my walk, I attempted to sleep on a plain too close to a water source as I could not find an appropriate camping spot and was exhausted after 13 days of walking with a pack. I ended up getting so frustrated by the mosquitoes that I started walking at 3am. I have since learned that burning the right plants (banksia 'men' are great!) keeps them away, as do the right essential oils. Choosing the right camping spot avoids most issues with mosquitoes and the only other insect that bothers me are flies.

If it starts glowing, you know tinyE nearby...